Frostblood (Frostblood Saga #1)(40)
“You’re talking about myths.”
“To me and my order, these so-called myths are as real as you sitting before me. Regardless, some of the accounts I have read say that Eurus corrupted both thrones, cursing the families who have sat on them since the ancient wars between Firebloods and Frostbloods.”
“Ruling in an unbroken line doesn’t sound like a curse to me.”
“Until you consider that every ruler died tragically and often after a short reign.”
I shrugged. “Tragic deaths are common whether you’re a king or a peasant.”
“Not only that. The rulers often went mad, hearing voices, carrying out terrible acts. King Ulrik drowned his first grandchild. Queen Ecklin killed her husband in a fit of temper. King Askabar wiped out an entire province because a baron insulted his mistress, and that led to a civil war. There are far more stories of madness and strange deaths. Too many to relate.”
“Horrible stories,” I said, rubbing the goose bumps on my arms.
“I think some rulers were strong enough to fight the influence of the curse, and Tempesians and Sudesians enjoyed relative peace during those reigns. But they were only able to do so because the curse was not fully woken.”
“And you think the curse woke?”
“Yes. After generations of calm, King Akur began showing signs of being overtaken by the darkness. The even-tempered king who had cared for his people suddenly sent troops to his southern border and started wiping out Firebloods. When Akur died, his elder son took the throne and tried to restore peace, but he only ruled for a year before he was assassinated. And now Akur’s second son, Rasmus, rules with such open hatred for peace and fairness that the whole kingdom trembles.”
I sat in silence for a minute, thinking. “It doesn’t have to be a curse. People do terrible things. They make decisions that make no sense to anyone but them.”
Brother Thistle pointed back to the book on his desk. “The text says that a fierce east wind will blow when the child of darkness is born, a child who will open the Gate of Light. When I was a young man, a terrible storm blew over Sudesia and Tempesia, a monstrous hurricane that wiped out towns and cities along the coasts. Very soon after, King Akur began showing signs of madness.”
It took me a second to understand his meaning. “You think the child of darkness was born and that woke the curse?”
“I do. And roughly seventeen years ago, a similarly violent storm hit, but from the west. As you read, the book says that a west wind will blow when the child of light is born, a powerful Fireblood who will fight the darkness and destroy it forever.”
The air in the room pulsed with a strange energy. “Well, shouldn’t you be looking for this child of light if you believe the prophecies?”
He put his hands on his knees and sat back in his chair. “I have spent my life doing so. And I think I have found her.”
It took me a moment to find my voice. “I’ve become quite fond of you, Brother Thistle. But if you’re implying I’m the child of light, I must tell you frankly that I think you’re touched in the head.”
He smiled gently. “I know it will be very hard to accept—”
“Impossible.”
“Why?”
“My powers are unreliable. I have a foul temper and I’ve hurt people. I’m more likely to be the child of darkness.”
He wrapped his robes more tightly about himself. “Do not say that. You are no such thing.”
“I think it’s time for bed,” I said, standing. I’d had as much as I could handle. It was more than enough to believe I was the last Fireblood in the kingdom. The idea that I was somehow destined to save the world from the curse of a god was far too much to accept. All I was supposed to do was kill the king, and that seemed impossible.
“Do not run from the truth, Ruby. Summer solstice draws near, the time when your strength is greatest. It is almost time for you to leave… and the time has come for me to tell you what we want you to do.”
My heart kicked against my ribs. My palms grew damp.
“I am still researching the thrones and their connection to the ruling family, but I am confident of this: You need to eliminate the throne first. It protects the king and gives him power. If he could be overtaken by force, someone would have formed an army and done so already.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And would people be willing to fight? To face torture and death if they lose?”
“The land is dying. The people are dying. They have nothing to lose.”
“So you’re saying, to have a hope of killing the king, I need to destroy the throne first. How?”
His light blue eyes bored into mine. “You must summon all the power you have. Everything, Ruby. You understand me? There can be no reservation. You must focus all your heat on the throne. Melt it. Destroy it.”
I nodded. “What if I’m not strong enough?”
“You have to be.”
Fear gripped my stomach. Things suddenly seemed so complicated, more starkly real. For everything to depend on me… it was unimaginable. I wasn’t strong. I was volatile. Undisciplined. I didn’t have the strength, the control.
I stared out the window. The dying sun left fingerlike streaks of purple as it slid from the sky. I rubbed my arms and tried to draw warmth from my heart.